by Toni Shibayama
Happy team members will make it easier to produce a happy experience for your members. Here are the Top 5 ways to accomplish this:
1. Focus on Mental Health and Wellbeing
More than a third of non-supervisory employees feel their workplaces aren’t “taking adequate steps” to address their wellbeing and mental health, and 49% feel their employers don’t support their work-life balance. This is a huge opportunity for improvement.
- Encourage microbreaks throughout the workday (snack breaks count)
- Offer mental health resources like counseling sessions or meditation app subscriptions
- Stock your break room with fresh fruit (it’s linked to a lower risk of anxiety and depression)
- Implement more flexible work schedules and PTO/sick leave policies
- Create opportunities for coworkers to connect
- Show employees your workplace is a safe space for mental health discussions
2. Take Steps to Boost Engagement and Morale
Among non-supervisory employees, 41% feel that “low morale/engagement” is standing in the way of their company’s success. In fact, they pointed to it more than any other issue—including things like communication/collaboration and leadership development. The 2025 Employee Experience Trends Report found that companies could do three specific things to boost engagement.
- Create more streamlined, effective processes
- Encourage employee creativity and innovation
- Continually improve workflows and procedures
3. Encourage Managers and Peers to Show Appreciation
According to one report, 62% of employees feel stressed and burned out at work in part because of a lack of appreciation or recognition. If you’re wondering how to keep team members happy, implementing things like regular appreciation gifts, praise from managers and peers, and other forms of positive feedback in 2025 could help. When a manager or employee notices a co-worker practicing one of your company values they can let leadership know by filling out a quick form which can be read by HR at the next company meeting. Or you can simply carve ten minutes out of your next meeting and ask your co-workers to thank anyone who helped or impressed them in the previous week.
4. Optimize Employee Workloads
Survey data shows that heavy workloads and long hours are major contributors to employee stress and burnout. That means adjusting them can have a big impact on employee happiness. Maintain a manageable level of stress, and ensure they are respected and safe when they are at work. Consider shifting work between employees or hiring additional talent to help the 51% of employees stressed or burning out from task overload.
5. Strengthen Employee Connections with Leadership
Employees want to feel recognized and appreciated in 2025. Strengthening their connections with leadership can help make this happen. According to the 2025 Employee Experience Trends Report, “Exceeding employee expectations is not just about communication or pay—it’s about partnering with employees to understand, help them navigate, and respond proactively to the everyday chaos they experience at work.”
6. Bonus: Improve Your Candidate Experience
One report found that employees who have been with a company less than three years are more likely to leave than more tenured employees, in part because 34% rated the experience “below expectations.” To help keep your new employees happy, consider revamping your interviewing and hiring process. According to a recent survey of more than 1,400 HR leaders, most plan to focus on these five things:
1) Leader and Manager Development— Supporting leaders as they take on more responsibilities.
2) Organizational Culture— Aligning managers and other leaders with the company’s culture and values.
3) Strategic Workforce Planning— Making sure the right people are in the right roles on the team, and planning for future hires.
4) Change Management— Helping managers and employees navigate new policies and other changes sustainably without burning out.
5) HR Technology— Investigating technological solutions for productivity and efficiency in the HR department, like generative AI.
Based on this priority list, HR leaders seem poised to strengthen employee connections with leadership, optimize workloads, and potentially help managers show appreciation to their teams in 2025. That’s great news, as all of those things align with what employees want. To keep all of your company’s employees happy in 2025, remember to prioritize improvements for mental health, wellbeing, morale, and engagement, too. The end result will be happy club members, which is what we all strive for.
Toni Shibayama is a Broker/Risk Consultant for S&K Insurance in Southern California. She has more than 15 years experience in risk management, job safety, Workers’ Compensation, wellness and HR consulting. Toni is also the author of “The Private Club General Manager’s Big Game Playbook.”
She can be reached at toni@sk-insurance.com and by phone at 213.627.5204.
